How to Set Up a Shopify Store in India, Step by Step: Plan, Domain, Payments, GST, Shipping and Launch

On this page

1. Step 1: Choose a plan by what drives the cost
2. Step 2: Connect your domain without breaking email
3. Step 3: Payment providers and cash on delivery
4. Step 4: Taxes and GST invoices
5. Step 5: Shipping zones, pin codes and couriers
6. Step 6: Policies customers and gateways look for
7. The launch checklist
8. Want it done for you?
9. Quick check: before you launch
10. When to get help
11. FAQs

To set up a Shopify store in India, choose a plan, connect your domain, add an Indian payment provider such as Razorpay or PayU plus cash on delivery, configure GST and invoices, set shipping by pin code, publish your policies and test real orders before launch. The account takes minutes; the local decisions on payments, COD, GST and couriers are what take the time.

Step 1: Choose a plan by what drives the cost

Shopify's plans and prices change, and the pricing page you see depends on your country, so I won't quote figures here. What helps more is knowing what each part of the monthly bill depends on, so you can compare plans honestly:

• The plan itself. Higher plans add staff accounts, reporting and sometimes lower fees. A new store rarely needs the top tier on day one.
• Transaction fees. At the time of writing, Shopify may charge its own fee on orders paid through a third-party payment provider, depending on your country and plan. That sits on top of what the gateway charges. Check Shopify's current pricing for India before choosing, because at higher order volumes this fee can matter more than the plan price.
• Apps. Many are billed monthly. Invoice, COD-control, reviews and courier apps add up, so budget for the ones you know you need rather than everything shown in a theme demo.
• Theme. Shopify's free themes are a sound start. A paid theme is a one-off purchase, worth it only for features you will actually use.

Step 2: Connect your domain without breaking email

Most Indian businesses already own a domain, often with email running on it. The safest way to connect it to Shopify is to leave the domain with its current registrar and change only the records Shopify asks for, rather than moving the nameservers.

1. Open your DNS panel, list every existing record and take a screenshot. MX, SPF and DKIM (TXT) records and any verification entries keep your email and other services working, so leave them alone.
2. In Shopify, add the domain in the domains settings. At the time of writing, Shopify asks for an A record on the root domain and a CNAME record on www pointing to Shopify. Use the exact values shown in your admin or in Shopify's current help pages, as they can change.
3. Delete old A or CNAME records for those names that still point to your previous host.
4. Choose whether the main address is the www or the bare version, and let Shopify redirect the other one to it.
5. Wait for the SSL certificate, then send yourself a test email to confirm mail still arrives.

Connecting the domain to Shopify does not move your mailboxes; they stay with your current email provider. Setting email up for the first time? SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained covers the records that keep order emails and replies out of spam folders.

Step 3: Payment providers and cash on delivery

At the time of writing, Shopify's own payment processing, Shopify Payments, is unavailable to Indian businesses, which leaves Indian stores relying on a third-party provider. Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree and PhonePe are common choices, covering UPI, cards, net banking and wallets. Each provider runs its own KYC, which usually asks for business documents, bank details and a working website with policy pages, so apply early. It is often the slowest part of a launch.

Compare more than the headline fee: settlement time, refunds, international cards, the quality of the Shopify integration and support. How to choose a payment gateway in India has a fuller checklist.

In Shopify, COD is set up as a manual payment method: each COD order is recorded as unpaid until you mark it paid after the courier remits the cash. Two consequences follow:

• Your orders list and reports show unpaid COD orders until someone updates them, so decide who does this and how often.
• Out of the box, COD is simply on or off. Restricting it to certain pin codes or order values, charging a COD fee or confirming orders over WhatsApp before dispatch usually needs an app or a checkout tool from a logistics or payments company. Check what your plan allows before relying on one, and test it as carefully as the gateway.

Refused COD parcels cost you shipping both ways, so many stores start by offering COD only below a certain order value. The guide to offering COD without losing money to RTO is written for WooCommerce, but the reasoning applies just as well on Shopify.

Step 4: Taxes and GST invoices

Shopify can calculate GST at checkout, but treat its default Indian tax settings as a starting point rather than an answer. Rates depend on what you sell, and some categories move between rates depending on price. Set overrides for products or collections where the rate differs, and decide whether your displayed prices include tax, which is what most Indian shoppers expect to see.

Shopify on its own doesn't generate GST-compliant invoices at the time of writing, so stores add an invoice app. A good one adds your GSTIN, HSN or SAC codes, sequential invoice numbers, the place of supply and the CGST and SGST or IGST split, and attaches the invoice to the order email or the customer's account. When choosing one, check:

• how invoice numbers are generated and whether the series can restart with your financial year;
• whether credit notes are created automatically for returns and refunds;
• that HSN codes can be stored on each product, ideally in a metafield, so nobody has to type them per order;
• how COD orders are handled, since payment arrives after dispatch.

Ask your CA to confirm the rates, the invoice format and how in-state and inter-state sales are shown before you take real orders. The GST setup guide for WooCommerce stores explains CGST, SGST, IGST and HSN codes in plain terms; the tax ideas are the same on either platform.

Step 5: Shipping zones, pin codes and couriers

Shopify organises shipping into zones, each with its own rates. For a store selling only within India, the cleanest setup is usually one domestic zone with a small number of rates:

Approach	Suits	Watch out for
Flat rate, free above a threshold	Light products of similar size	The threshold has to cover your average shipping cost
Weight-based rates	Mixed catalogues and heavier items	Every product needs an accurate weight, packaging included
Price-based rates	Stores where order value matters more than weight	Bulky, low-priced items can lose money
Separate rate for remote areas	Stores shipping to hill areas, islands or the North East	Standard zones work by country and state at the time of writing, so pin code rules usually come from an app

In India, pin codes matter more than zones. Couriers don't reach every pin code, and COD is available on fewer of them. Most shipping aggregators and couriers offer a Shopify app that pulls in orders, prints labels, books pickups and sends tracking, and many add a pin code checker to the product page so shoppers know before ordering whether you deliver to them and roughly when. Test that checker with a few real pin codes, including one that should fail.

Step 6: Policies customers and gateways look for

Payment providers usually check for policy pages during KYC, and shoppers read them before a first order from a brand they don't know. Shopify can generate policy templates, but a template is not your policy. Write four pages in plain language:

• Returns: the window, the condition items must be in, what can't be returned (innerwear, customised items, sale stock, perishables), and who pays for return shipping.
• Refunds: how long refunds take, whether money goes back to the original payment method, and how COD orders are refunded, since there is no card or UPI ID to reverse.
• Shipping: where you deliver, dispatch and delivery times, charges, and what happens if a parcel is refused or the address is wrong.
• Privacy: what you collect, why, which services receive it (payment provider, courier, analytics, ad platforms) and how a customer can ask for their data to be deleted.

Add a contact page with a phone or WhatsApp number, email and address. For the privacy page, read privacy policy and cookie basics for Indian websites, and ask a lawyer to review it if you collect anything sensitive.

The launch checklist

Before the store-level checks, make sure the India-specific paperwork is done, because these are the items that usually hold up a launch:

• GST number entered in Shopify's tax settings and the invoice app, if you are registered, with rates confirmed by your CA.
• Razorpay or PayU KYC completed and the account activated for live payments, not just test mode.
• COD switched on as a manual payment method, with any order-value or pin code limits set.
• Shipping app such as Shiprocket connected, with pickup address and package sizes saved.
• Policies for refunds, shipping, privacy and terms published and linked in the footer; gateways check for these.
• Domain connected, with email DNS records still working.

Then work through this on a phone, because that is how most of your shoppers will see the store.

1. Every product has a title, your own description, real photos, the right variants, price, weight, SKU and stock. If supplier text is still in place, see writing product descriptions that sell.
2. Collections have a short introduction and are linked from the main menu.
3. A test order goes through Shopify's test gateway or the provider's test mode, then one real low-value prepaid order is placed and refunded.
4. A COD order arrives as unpaid, and a failed payment lets the shopper retry.
5. The order confirmation email, the GST invoice and the shipping notification all look right.
6. A pickup is booked for the test order through the courier app, then cancelled.
7. Each product, collection and page has its search engine listing edited: title, description and handle.
8. The storefront password is removed, and the store is opened on mobile data rather than office Wi-Fi.

In the first fortnight, watch failed payments, COD orders still unmarked and pin codes that keep failing; they show where the setup needs adjusting. When you want the store's look to go beyond the theme's settings, customising a Shopify theme safely is the natural next step.

Want it done for you?

Quick check: before you launch

1. In Shopify admin, open Settings > Payments and place a test order.
2. Open Settings > Taxes and duties and check GST settings.
3. Open Settings > Shipping and delivery and check rates for your pin code zones.

When to get help

Get help when payments, GST or shipping need setting up, or when you want the store launched properly. Shopify development covers this kind of work, with a written scope before anything starts. You can also send the details through the contact form.

Product photos on a clean white background convert better; the free background remover runs in your browser.

FAQs

How long does it take to set up a Shopify store in India?

For a small catalogue, the setup inside Shopify can be done in days. The usual delays sit outside it: payment provider KYC, gathering product photos and details, and confirming GST settings with your CA. Start those first.

Do I need a GST number to sell on Shopify?

That depends on your turnover, what you sell and how you sell it, and payment providers often ask for one during KYC. Your CA can tell you what applies to your business before you launch.

Can customers pay by UPI on a Shopify store in India?

Yes, through an Indian payment provider. Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree and PhonePe support UPI at the time of writing; check each provider's current Shopify integration and fees before choosing.

Should I use Shopify Markets to sell outside India?

Only once domestic orders run smoothly. Selling abroad adds currency display, international shipping rates, duties and a payment provider that accepts foreign cards, so confirm each of those before switching another market on.

Which Shopify apps does a new Indian store actually need?

Usually a GST invoice app, your courier or shipping aggregator app, and possibly a COD-control tool. Add reviews, WhatsApp or upsell apps later, one at a time, and check page speed after each.

Can you set the store up for me?

Yes. My most recent Shopify project, a store for a fashion brand that is launching soon, covered the theme, products and collections, payments, shipping and checkout, and the apps, speed and SEO basics. The client's details stay private until launch.